Slow Horses star confirms series future after season 8 - and it's bad news for fans

For some time now, there has been a question over what would happen when Slow Horses caught up with Mick Herron's books. That moment will be upon us when the now confirmed season 8, will adapt Clown Town, Herron's 2025 novel and the most recent in the Slough House series.

With Herron intending to continue the book series, there would appear to be three options - take a break and wait for more books to be published, go beyond the books as Game of Thrones did, or end the Apple TV adaptation early.

Now, according to Sid Baker star Olivia Cooke, it would seem as though the show is going down the latter route - even if there is the potential for a return at some point.

Speaking in a recent interview with The Times, Cooke said of Slow Horses: "I am shooting the last season!"

She then added "never say never", before explaining: "But I think that’s what we’ve been told and it definitely feels like we are ending. We’re all melancholy, distracted. Yesterday, I got in the make-up chair and cried. The show’s been a shining light and I’ve told my partner I need two weeks to get over it. I’m going to be depressed."

Radio Times has approached Apple TV for comment.

In the interview, Cooke also revealed that her season 6 return, after being seemingly killed off in season 1, was no surprise, as they were "checking my availability over the years."

"And we stayed in touch," she added. "It was like I’d never left."

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If Slow Horses does come to an end with its eighth season, fans still have two runs of the show left to enjoy, with season 7 expected next year and the eighth run, which is filming now, expected in 2028.

Season 6 ended on a huge cliffhanger, with Jack Lowden's River seemingly being poisoned after touching a crowbar.

Cooke will next be seen starring in Helen Mirren film A Talent for Murder, while she will also return for the fourth and final season of House of the Dragon, which is expected to air in 2028.

Slow Horses season 7 will be released on Apple TV, while seasons 1-6 are available to stream now. You can sign up to Apple TV for a seven-day free trial.

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Authors

James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.